Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM
In addition to the wide range of research activities in materials science and process engineering, our work on the key technologies of automation and robotics supplements the expertise at Fraunhofer IFAM. The focus is primarily on processes which have to adapt continuously and with high precision to components with low dimensional accuracy, changing components, changing production processes, or human work components.
This core competence includes the integration of the technologies joining, sealing, surface treatment, painting, processing, and printing into an automated and digitized production environment (Internet of Things, Big Data). In this context, solutions are also developed for holistic quality assurance of manufacturing processes, materials, material composites and coatings through the use of innovative methods for the acquisition, evaluation and visualization of measurement data and through the use of intelligent materials.
Fraunhofer IFAM's automation and robotics solutions serve to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of manufacturing and repair processes, improve sustainability and ergonomics in production, optimize the product life cycle through quality and condition monitoring, improve product quality, and reduce process costs.
The scale ranges from a laboratory to a Center for Networked Surface and Coating Technology and even to a 4000 square meter research hall, e. g. for aviation, rail vehicle construction, and wind energy. Fraunhofer IFAM is characterized by its interdisciplinary approach based on decades of experience in materials and process development in many industries. The application of cyber-physical systems in quality assurance as well as personnel-certifying further training courses complete the spectrum.